Web Exclusive… Ratatouille By Elissa Royal, March-April 2004

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Around the time my mom turned 60, she'd had enough of cooking. My dad realized that frozen dinners weren't just a phase, so he resolved to teach himself how to cook.

Deciding to learn one vegetable at a time, he started with eggplant because he was in the mood for eggplant parmigiana. He ran across a recipe in my mom's well-worn cookbooks for ratatouille, which uses up all kinds of vegetables, and it is deliciously herb-infused. It sounded like a forgiving recipe and a good place to start.

After two months of eggplant, my mom voiced her concern that her skin was developing a purple sheen. My dad declared that he had mastered the eggplant and was ready for his next vegetable.

Note that the eggplant is microwaved briefly before it's sautéed with the other vegetables. Dad says doing that rids it of excess moisture and bitterness while making it less oil-absorbent.

Serve the ratatouille over rice or pasta, or with crusty French bread.

• 2 cups eggplant, peeled and cut into 1-inch dice
• 2 cups yellow onions, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium sweet green pepper, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 cup celery, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 2 cups drained canned tomatoes, cut into small pieces (reserve juice)
• 1 cup mushrooms, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

In a glass pan, place a layer of paper towels, a layer of eggplant cubes, and another paper towel. Microwave on high for 8 minutes.

In a deep skillet, over medium heat, sauté the onions in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil until softened, about 3 minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium-low, and stir in eggplant, green pepper, celery, garlic, and remaining olive oil. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are slightly softened, about 10 minutes.

Stir in zucchini, tomatoes, mushrooms, all herbs, and black pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened and the flavors have blended, about 20 minutes. The ratatouille should be thick. If it's too watery, continue simmering until thickened. If there is too little liquid, add the reserved tomato juice, and simmer until thickened.